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The Celtics have struggled down the stretch of the regular season, and that’s only making life more difficult for them as the playoffs near.

On the one hand, the C’s have an aging roster, and that demands a certain amount of restraint with the postseason in mind. After all, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are not the young men they once were, so Doc Rivers has already begun resting his stars in anticipation of the playoffs. On the other hand, the Celtics need to be playing at their best at this point of the year.

How can they do so with their best players on the bench?

That’s the conundrum that the Celtics face with only a few games standing between them and a likely first-round matchup with the New York Knicks, and it’s one without an easy answer.

Still, NESN.com NBA writer Ben Watanabe and NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette did their best to tackle it in the latest NESN.com podcast. The two also touched on Derrick Rose‘s recovery, Rajon Rondo‘s eventual return and much more.

Listen to their conversation in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes to download the episode there.

Have a question for Ben Watanabe? Send it to him via Twitter at @BenjeeBallgame.